The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Laryngoscopy is a medical procedure that is us to obtain a view of the vocal folds and the glottis. Laryngoscopy is an examination of the larynx (voice box) using a small mirror held just below the back of the palate, or a rigid or flexible viewing tube called a Laryngoscope placed in the mouth of the patient. Laryngoscopy may be performed to facilitate tracheal intubation during general anesthesia or cardiopulmonary resuscitation or for procedures on the larynx or other parts of the upper tracheobronchial tree.
There are two types of laryngoscopy including both (1) indirect laryngoscopy and (2) direct fiber-optic (flexible or rigid) laryngoscopy. Indirect laryngoscopy is performed whenever the provider visualizes the patient's vocal cords by a means other than obtaining a direct line of sight. For example during intubation, this may be facilitated by fiberoptic bronchoscopes, video laryngoscopes, fiberoptic stylets and mirror or prism optically-enhanced laryngoscopes.
Fiber-optic or direct laryngoscopy examinations allow doctors to see deeper into the throat by using either a flexible or rigid laryngoscope. Direct laryngoscopy is carried out usually the patient lying on his or her back; the laryngoscope is inserted into the mouth on the right side and flipped to the left to trap and move the tongue out of the line of sight, and, depending on the type of blade used, inserted either anterior or posterior to the epiglottis and then lifted with an upwards and forward motion (“away from you and towards the roof”). This move makes a view of the glottis possible. The doctor will examine the throat area through the scope's eyepiece.
There are at least ten different types of laryngoscope used for this procedure, each of which has a specialized use for the otolaryngologist and medical speech pathologist. This procedure is most often employed by anesthetists for endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia, but also in direct diagnostic laryngoscopy with biopsy.
Tracheal intubation using a laryngoscope has been demonstrated to fail in up to 35% of patients with an unpredicted difficult airway. Problems in securing the airway are still the main contributors to anesthesia-related morbidity and mortality.